justice
Trump in the dock: ex-president protests innocence
Former US President Donald Trump could face decades in prison if convicted. photo
© Alex Brandon/AP
Three indictments in just a few months, three memorable appearances in court: This time Trump has to appear in Washington. Even with the latest legal allegations, he is not aware of any guilt.
After the unprecedented indictment against the former US President Donald Trump, the 77-year-old protested his innocence in court about attempted election fraud.
The Republican presidential candidate had to appear before a judge in the capital Washington on Thursday for the formal presentation of the indictment and pleaded “not guilty”. Trump once again saw the prosecution against him as a politically motivated maneuver. He is the first ex-president in US history to stand trial for alleged crimes – and in several cases.
The new indictment is the second federal indictment against Trump and the third overall. In recent months, Trump has been indicted on two other counts: in connection with paying hush money to a porn star several years ago and for unlawfully storing top-secret government documents after the end of his tenure. In the new case, he is confronted with the most serious allegations to date.
First hearing at the end of August
The 45-page indictment charges Trump with four formal charges, including conspiracy against the United States. For the first time, it is about alleged crimes during his tenure in the White House. The focus is on his attempts to subsequently reverse his own defeat in the 2020 presidential election against the Democrat Joe Biden. Trump’s campaign against the election result culminated in an unprecedented attack by his supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In the immediate vicinity of the crime scene at the time, just a few hundred meters from the Capitol, Trump was confronted with the legal allegations against him in court yesterday in Washington. The next date in the case is to follow at the end of August: the judge scheduled the first hearing after the indictment was read out for August 28th. Trump’s presence is not necessary for this, it said. There, the further procedure is to be decided, and thus possibly also the date for the start of the process.
If convicted, the Republican could face decades in prison. According to experts, a conviction would not legally prevent Trump from running in the November 2024 election – especially since it is highly questionable whether a final judgment will be available by then. Trump is already facing two more trials on the other two charges in the 2024 election year. Trump could soon face a fourth charge in the state of Georgia, also because of his role after the 2020 presidential election.
Trump sees the indictment as a maneuver by his opponents
Immediately after Thursday’s court session, which lasted less than half an hour, Trump left Washington again for Bedminster, New Jersey, to one of his golf clubs. He once again complained bitterly about the prosecution against him.
“This is the persecution of a political opponent,” he said shortly before his departure. “That should never have happened in America.” He is only being prosecuted because he is far ahead in the field of Republican presidential candidates. In polls, he ranks clearly at the top in the race with internal party competitors. Trump generally regards any legal action against him as an attempt by his opponents to prevent him from returning to the White House.
Special Counsel Jack Smith announced the memorable charges against the former President on Tuesday. Trump is accused of orchestrating a conspiracy to defraud the United States, disenfranchise voters and obstruct an official process. In the indictment, Trump is accused of spreading false claims about the election despite knowing better, and also instrumentalizing people in the Justice Department to do so. Trump knew very well that his allegations of fraud were not true.
Six accomplices are said to have been involved
The indictment lists six accomplices, although they do not name them. They are said to have been involved in the conspiracy. They are four lawyers, one member of the judiciary and one political adviser.
Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Biden. He never admitted his defeat, but has since spread false claims that he was robbed of a victory through electoral fraud. At the time, Trump and those around him tried various ways to subsequently overturn the result – including by putting pressure on politicians in the federal government and in several states.
The campaign against the outcome of the election finally reached its sad climax on January 6, 2021 with an outbreak of violence: On that day, Trump supporters stormed the seat of the US Congress, where Biden’s election victory was to be formally confirmed at the time. Trump had once again goaded his supporters in a speech shortly before, claiming that he had been deprived of a victory by massive election fraud. Several people died in the riots.